Is April too late to prune a fig tree?

[whataboutbob]

It’s in my brothers garden, he’s disabled and I won’t get there till April it’s a tall, old tree. I wasted 3 weeks waiting on a gardener who then told me she wasn’t going to take it on. I can do some “ tidying” myself for example cutting back the branches that rub up against the bedroom window ( from the bedroom) and remove suckers. Then get it done nice and early next year. Any advice? Thanks in advance

Yes.

The sap is going, the leaves are out.

It might bleed out.

Bleed out ? How bad does it get? Can the tree die?

Probably not if you only cut a branch, but I know that fig trees have to be pruned in January.

Thanks Chardonnay. Just a little bit of tidying then!

I might be wrong.

RHS says late March, before growth starts

@MereDintofPandiculation

RHS says late March, before growth starts

True, trouble is growth starts a lot earlier now, with the winters being so warm. It's late March now, and most fig trees in London, where I am, already have their leaves out.

Mine’s nowhere near. Anything in gardening depends on whereabouts you are. You’re getting both the SE effect and the urban warmth effect. So I guess that’s why they add the rider “before growth starts”

Weirdly, my great big encyclopaedia of gardening (RHS book) says spring or summer. I am going to ring a tree surgeon tomorrow whom I have used before and ask for their opinion.

I pruned mine (in London) about a fortnight ago, although I believe they’re generally pruned in late summer. If you’ve got branches rubbing against windows, I think you need to deal with that and hope for the best.

I’d definitely go with RHS advice not mine, but I did prune my fig tree (by about 20% so not major) last April - had just moved in and it needed it (and I didn’t know any better)

The tree is absolutely fine : vigorous & gave fruit, but I’d estimate it’s at least 15 years old. The outcome might depend on the tree perhaps